Oklahoma coach Porter Moser doesn’t expect his team to attempt 40-plus 3-pointers every game.
But the Sooners (2-1) have done precisely that heading into Friday’s matchup against Fairleigh Dickinson (2-2) in Norman, Okla.
Oklahoma tied a program record with 40 3-point tries in last week’s win over Mississippi Valley State. The Sooners then set a school record with 43 attempts from beyond the arc in Monday’s 81-72 defeat of North Alabama.
“Teams around the country are playing this flood defense,” Moser said. “They’re flooding everything, trying to take away the rim.”
So far, the Sooners are shooting 30.1% from beyond the arc, but Moser isn’t telling his team to back off.
“With this group, I’m confident they can make them,” Moser said. “We keep working on it.”
But Moser also said Oklahoma has to keep working to integrate 6-foot-10 Villanova transfer Duke Brennan into the flow of the offense.
Brennan’s eligibility remained uncertain until less than two weeks before the season, when he and other players from the 2022 recruiting class were granted a preliminary injunction.
“Against a smaller group, he’s got to make them pay with offensive rebounds,” Moser said. “… I think he’s really trying to make an effort with his ball-screen defense and (we) continue to hope to incorporate him more.”
Through three games, the Sooners have four players scoring in double figures, led by Derrion Reid’s 13.7 points per game.
Moser especially is looking for improvement from his team’s defense.
“I’ve got a high standard for what I want our defense to look like,” he said.
The visiting Knights are coming off an 80-76 overtime win over the same East Texas A&M team that beat Oklahoma in the season opener.
FDU is looking for its first victory over a major conference opponent since beating Purdue in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The Knights haven’t won such a game in the regular season since the 2013-14 season.
FDU is led by David Jevtic, who is shooting 52.4% from the field and averaging 15.0 points per game.
The Knights come into the game with one of the worst rebounding margins in Division I, being outrebounded by an average of 10.7 boards per game.
–Field Level Media
